view close votes

This privilege allows you to view and cast close and reopen votes on your own questions.

What is closing?

Closing is a democratic voting process where the community defines what is generally on-topic and generally off-topic for this site.

What is a closed question?

Closed questions do not allow new answers and can be identified by the [on hold] or [closed] title suffix.

It takes 5 close votes from members of the community with the close vote privilege to close a question. The reason for question closure is always explained at the bottom.

When should I close my own question?

Questions that are sufficiently off-topic, as outlined in the FAQ, should be closed by casting close votes. Common reasons for question closure are:

You asked a question that was asked before

You asked a question that is off-topic

How do I view close votes and reasons?

Click on the "close" link under any of your questions, under the question text and to the left side. You will see a list of close reasons, each with a count of the number of votes cast with that reason.

You may also cast a close or reopen vote on your questions. With the close/reopen vote privilege, you'll be able to see (and cast) close and reopen votes on all questions.

What happens to closed questions?

Some off-topic questions may be migrated to a different site right after closing (we keep the question page with a link to the new location).

Other closed questions may be reopened through a similar voting process. They can also eventually be merged with another question or even deleted.